3 urgent questions facing Michigan State basketball this offseason

Most would probably agree that this is the most important offseason in Michigan State basketball history, or at least in the Tom Izzo era. After four straight mediocre seasons, the Spartans have hit a point where something needs to change or the program's reputation will start to decline fast.

There are a lot of urgent questions that Tom Izzo and his staff will need to answer this offseason, but these are the three that stand out the most.

1. Will Tom Izzo finally get someone from the transfer portal?

This is the one thing that is on every Spartan fan's mind. Tom Izzo has refused to use the transfer portal for the past few years, and one could argue that is the biggest reason for the program's recent struggles. But now, after multiple down years, will Izzo finally decide to use the transfer portal?

So far that answer is a resounding yes. Michigan State has been linked with three players in the portal so far, with the most recent being Keyshawn Hall from George Mason and Frankie Fidler from Omaha on Thursday. So now the question isn't if Izzo will use the portal, it is if he will be successful.

We can only wait to see what the answer to that question is, but I feel confident that Izzo will be able to find someone. Michigan State is one of the biggest and most historic brands in college basketball, so that alone will grab the attention of many recruits. But the Spartans also have a lot of playing time to offer transfers as well as a solid supporting cast already in place, so the situation in East Lansing does line up for Tom Izzo to land a big fish this offseason.